I had a 12 hour session with my psychic broken into four meetings. We discussed dozens of business topics that have been difficult for me over the last several years. One of the most interesting topics was growth. I wanted to know what the best ideas for growing my online directory business. We channeled spirits of deceased great business people, and tuned into the consciousness of management departments at some of today’s best corporations like Google, Toyota, and Uber. Although there is no way to prove that those organizations would really recommend what my psychic picked up on, the exercise was fascinating and the results were nothing short of amazing.
Find a partner, but who?
One of the tips we got was when we channeled Warren Buffet. He is so “in demand” that the chance that I’ll ever get to talk to him in depth is slim, but you never know. If he took an interest in me, then he might give me some time. But, for now we’ll have to settle for channeling with Walter the psychic who is excellent — no complaints! The suggestion we got was to partner. But, with who?
Should I partner with a company?
I thought about partnering with social media companies since I am so active on social media. One of the entities we channeled actually did suggest that idea. I thought about partnering with programming companies as I am so reliant on their work. Someone else recommended that idea as well. But, when we channeled Warren, the suggestion we picked up on was to partner with someone fresh out of college. Perhaps someone from a family with a strong work ethic. Perhaps an Asian-American who really wanted to get ahead and wasn’t afraid to work for it. The next thing we picked up on was that the kid would need to have a father who was very influential in his life. If the father told him to do something — that he would do it. Kids are fickle at age 22, but if they are subservient to pushy parents, it’s a lot easier to work with them as the chain of command isn’t broken.
History repeats itself
I remember back in high school, I had a friend from music school. He had never had a job. His father talked to me one day after music school. He wanted his kid to have some work experience. I was doing landscaping in those days. I know it’s hard to picture an amateur cellist doing lawn mowing, bark mulch, and digging ditches for plants — but, I’m a born entrepreneur, and that was the one business that I could easily start as a kid and succeed at. Incidentally, this family was also Asian-American, and they did not allow any slacking off for their kids. The kid I worked with turned out to become a Pediatrician after he finished school. So, basically, the suggestion we picked up on from Warren was history repeating itself — one of the few incidents in my history that actually turned out reasonably well too!
Partner with a college grad
So, I would need to network and find some college grads who want to build a new business with me. Startups are a popular topic on Twitter, and the subject matter does interest me. But, in real life I deal with startups in India regularly and see people falling on their faces in the United States as well. I just read that startups in Greece can barely afford wifi. The truth is that if you don’t have intense drive, money, experience, and management skills, your startup has only a slim chance of succeeding. I started my business in 1999 and started two more web directories around 2004-2007. I didn’t have the time to promote my other web directories until recently. Now, I’m doing the work and it is really time consuming. Getting a web site to be popular requires dealing with programmers, social media, finding good content to put online and more. It is an overtime job! So, if I found a kid who would do the legwork for me, I would have to provide the wisdom and cash to get the operation moving. It is an interesting thing to think about.
What if the partner quit?
If you have a partner, the chance of them quitting is quite real. You need to have a backup plan of who is going to take over the venture if they quit. You need to know how to train people to gain the necessary skills. Unfortunately, in my business it takes time to learn all the skills you need. There are so many skills, and each one takes years to master. So, if I get someone new, they won’t make money in the beginning as they are learning. But, with me as a mentor, they will get an interesting business education. It would be far less erudite than sitting in on Harvard Business School lectures, but a lot more practical and hands-on.
Learning the ropes
If I chose a partner, they would have to be willing to learn the twenty or so types of skills necessary to run a web business. I would be creating a mini-me in a sense. Sounds kind of creepy when you phrase it like that. I would teach them to be just like me. But, should I choose a business grad who wants to learn to run businesses? Or should I choose a tech grad who is interested in business but who can also program. If you hire outside programmers, they never give a damn and the bills are always sky-high! Or do I hire a social media fanatic. To do well in my world, you would ideally be all three wrapped into one human body. But, is it possible? We’ll find out!
Wish me luck & wish my future partner luck too.